Charles Spurgeon, the Puritan Preacher, once wrote, “There are two kinds of tears which true Christians shed: the one is a tear of sorrow because of sin; the other is a tear of joy because of pardon.” And this is shown in Psalm 51:17, which said, ” The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart…” A Christian’s life should be one of constant transformation…of forsaking the old self for the new…for taking responsibility for our misdeeds & allowing them to change us from the inside out. James 4:6 tells us that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble…but what does that mean? First, there is genuine sorrow for what we’ve done. Then there’s the all-important verbal admission of said sin…followed by a sincere desire for the Lord’s forgiveness and restoration. Once we’ve been forgiven, the joy of the Lord fills our heart and spurs us on to tells others about this wonderful gift of grace & mercy.
Jeremiah 29:11 ” For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
In this passage, the prophet Jeremiah was addressing God’s people who were in exile and facing extreme hardship. While it wasn’t a guarantee of immediate relief & deliverance, it was a vivid reminder that God was still in control…His plans were to bless, His promises were faithful, His desires were to prosper both practically & economically, and His goal was to give all a hopeful future. So, in the midst of the world’s wickedness today, you too may feel like a refugee, so this verse urges you to not give up… but to continually seek His guidance by aligning your heart with God’s divine Will… all the while trusting in His unfailing promises.
John 17:3 ” Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.”
Charles Spurgeon once wisely wrote, “I may know all the doctrines of the Bible, but unless I know Christ, there is not one of them that can save me.” Biblical knowledge will tell you about Jesus…but this type of knowledge is mere intellectual training. Where knowing Jesus, involves a personal relationship, with fellowship, affection, and commitment at its core. It’s then the difference between head knowledge & heart knowledge…or as Jeremiah said, “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows Me.” (Jeremiah 9:23)
Daniel 6: 22 ” My God sent His angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in His sight.”
The story is a very familiar one…Daniel in the lion’s den…condemned to death by King Darius for refusing to adhere to his decree. God could have changed the situation…but He didn’t. God could have rescued Daniel out of the lion’s den the instant his feet hit the dirt…but He didn’t. Instead, God chose to shut up the lion’s mouths, but still made Daniel spend the night there. He was destined then to endure & persevere through horrific hours as the lions lurked around, sniffing and drooling around him. But still Daniel trusted in his God. There will be times in our life when we too will have to live through dark, scary times in the lion’s den. And just as Daniel, we also will be innocent in God’s sight. But still, we’ll have to put up with those menacing lions for a night.
Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”
Arrogance and conceit are simply rebellion against the God that created us. When we’re filled with pride, we’re unteachable, because we won’t listen…thus headed to destruction. And this pride is also easily recognizable by others, who will then withhold honor…or as Proverbs 18:12 tells us, “Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.” So, we should seek after a humble heart, self-control, and a lowly spirit inspired by Godly wisdom.
Luke 8:16 ” No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.”
In His teachings, Jesus very often used common everyday objects to make His point. Here, He shows the sheer absurdness of lighting an oil lamp, only to then cover it up. The disciples quickly understood how ridiculous & contrary this would be, so Jesus used it as an exhortation for them to think of themselves as a lite lamp…illuminating God through them to all they came in contact with…and to not hide God’s Word, but to speak it boldly. In Matthew 5:15, Jesus again uses the lite lamp as an illustration that we aren’t to bury the light within us, but to let it shine… Why? “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
I John 3:1 ” How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.”
As a Believer, you are a child of God…adopted by Him and bearing the family likeness, with access to Truth & life that remains hidden to those who are in the world. John uses the word “lavish” to show the extravagant love God bestows on His children. This sonship is the purpose of His given love, which our heart then recognizes with unspeakable joy. For this mind-bending idea that God would love us enough to make us His children is just one of the amazing aspects of the Gospel Message. That’s why unbelievers don’t “know” Believers, because unbelievers don’t “know” Christ Jesus. The word “know” here being far reaching from just information…referring rather to a sense of intimacy, fellowship, and connection. So, the bottom-line is this, the world has no relationship either with God or Believers.
Psalm 90:1-2 ” Lord, You have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.”
God Himself has been and always will be “our dwelling place”…our eternal refuge. It’s by our faith in this that we affirm our trust in things we can’t imagine. God is eternal. He always was or is. He has, within Himself, the power of being. He requires no assistance from any outside sources to continue to exist. To fully comprehend this is impossible…but just because our brain can’t wrap its head around it doesn’t mean it’s not impossible for The Creator. The Apostle Paul put this all into context when he wrote in Acts 17:28, “In Him we live and move and have our being.” Or in other words, God is the source, and within Himself, the power of all being.
Psalm 107:8 ” Give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men.”
One of my favorite quotes from Mother Teresa is this- “The most beautiful way to start and end the day is with a grateful heart.” So think of it; by beginning & finishing the day with a thankful heart, we can focus on God’s steadfast love rather than our problems. In both Ephesians 5:20 and I Thessalonians 5:18 we are told to give thanks in all circumstances and for everything…the result of this, us exhibiting the indwelling Holy Spirit for all to see. Sure, we may not think there’s been anything good to be thankful for…but if we deliberately & with intention “Count our Blessings”, we’ll realize there are many things we can be appreciative of.
Hebrews 12:3-4 ” Consider Him Who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”
The Writer of Hebrews could not have been more forthright…suffering and persecution is a given, even for brand new Christians. And while many will become faint-hearted at the opposition, including whining, complaining, and giving up…he quickly reminded them that their struggle was far from what Jesus experienced. Galatians 6:9 tells us to not become weary in doing good, and that means looking at hostility for standing up for our faith and thanking the Lord not only for His example, but that what we’re going through is nowhere near what He endured.
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